5/31: Strawberry Hill Fiddlers... Sorry - Cancelled.

Due to the iffy weather,  the Strawberry Hill fiddlers moved their concert to their RAIN LOCATION tonight:  Hyde Park Baptist Church on 9G at 7:00 PM.     http://www.hpbcny.com/

Sorry.

BUT... at least this caused me to get back on the BLOG and begin to post again after a 18 month absence.

We have a GREAT summer concert season planned:

June 28:  Too Blue     “Dynamic Acoustic Bluegrass that Swings”

July 5:     The Big Band Sound “Favorites from the Big Band Era”   (Sponsored by Millbrook Lions Club)

July 19:   The Greyhounds “Rockabilly, Rhythm & Blues, and Roots Rock 'n' Roll from the 50s and 60s"

Aug 2:     Thunder Ridge “Kickin’ Top 40 Country”

Aug 16:   Lonely Hearts String Band “"Acoustic Bluegrass Quintet Playing Beatles Favorites."

Aug 30:   The Chain Gang “Classic Rock Tribute Band”

Sept 6:    Stolen Heart “Contemporary & Classic Country Music”

 

Tom Chapin: Returns to Millbrook! Sunday Oct 21

Thanks to a generous grant from the H.W. Wilson Foundation, the Millbrook Arts Group is THRILLED to have Tom Chapin return to Millbrook.    He will be performing at the Millbrook School with friends Jon Cobert & Michael Mark


“Nobody today is writing and performing better kids’ songs than Tom Chapin . . . the Pied Piper of children’s music.”      Parents Magazine

“For music that reaffirms the positive in life, the rewards of family and the wonders of living, go no further than Tom Chapin.”     Princeton Packet

“Warm spirit, infectious humor, and sensitive satiric songs ... one of the great personalities in contemporary folk music.”   New York Times

Need I say more?  This is appropriate for the entire family, young and old.  He sang at the Millbrook band shell a number of years ago, and it was packed!   So I recommend coming early.

Sunday, October 21st at 2:00 PM

Millbrook School Chelsea Morrison Theater
131 Millbrook School Road, Millbrook, NY 12545
Admission is free but there is limited seating. 

Doors open at 1:30 PM.

Map here:

Note:  Location is at the MILLBROOK SCHOOL... Not the Public HS

8/11: Tonight's concert... at the Pool!

Rain location time!

Come on out and enjoy Peter Muir, Steve Fabrizio and David Pearl play American and Broadway classics.

The concert will be at the covered pavilion at the Washington Town pool on Rt 44 in Mabbettsville, a few miles east of the village of Millbrook.   (map)  7:00.

See you there!

Tonight CANCELLED.... (Forget what I said about the pool...)

Due to the expected thunderstorms, we've cancelled tonight's concert.  

- The pool building - rain location -  just won't work out for this size band & lightning... bad mix.   Sorry....    (I thought the tornado would be a good visual...)

Summer 2012! & In case of Rain...

The 2012 Summer concert series is here, with a great line up.

Some new news:  Concerts are going on rain or shine!!! 
  - Shine = Band shell. 
  - Rain = Camp building at the Washington Town pool.  (map)

All concerts are at 7pm except the last concert:

6/30:  Six Stories Told / Second Floor Love Story / Letters to Autumn

   Trio of top local pop bands

7/7:  The Big Band Sound

    Swinging Sounds of the Big Band Sound

    Sponsored by the Millbrook Lions Club

7/21:  Thunder Ridge

     "Kicken' New Country & Country Rock"

8/4:  Shady Rill

      "Folk Music from French Canadian Traditional to Tin Pan Alley"

8/18:  Peter Muir, Steve Fabrizio and David Pearl

      "Favorites from Great American Songwriters"

8/25:  The Meetles

      "NY's most fun Beatles & 60's/70's Tribute Band"

 

9/8:  Stolen Heart

     5:00 on the Millbrook Village Green 

     "Contemporary and Classic Country Music"

Romeo & Juliet Tears Millbrook apart! 4/27

Artistically speaking only of course!

MAG is pleased to once again host Boscobel's Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. This is the fourth spring they have been able to visit Millbrook.

The troupe will be presenting workshops and the play to the High School students during the day thanks to grants from the Millbrook Educational Foundation and Berkshire Taconic Foundation. And thanks to our many MAG sponsors, the community gets to experience this great group Friday night and at a great price.

From past experiences, the play is suitable for the whole family. The cast takes time at the end to introduce themselves and answer questions (which the younger kids take advantage of!).

Every year I've walked away thinking, "what a great performance". I'm sure this year will be no difference.

Friday April 27th, 7pm at the Millbrook High School Auditorium. Cost: $10 adults. Students / Seniors are free. Tickets available at the door only.

http://hvshakespeare.org/

Sat Feb 11th: Another Night on the Town!

What a great way to spend a wintry Saturday; a little music, a little art, a little lite local restaurant fare and great neighbors. And then go out for dinner at one of Millbrook's restaurants!

Last months event was well attended; who knows, we may have to do this every winter. This month MAG and the Millbrook Library are hosting the HUMORESQUE DUET (Julie Martyn & Laura Majestic). The artist talk & photographs will be by Bill Wiegelman.

Coaches has graciously agreed to provide lite refreshments, to whet your appetite for a night on the town! Bring the night’s program to Coach’s for
a complimentary draft, well drink, or soft drink!

5:00-7:00 pm at the Millbrook Free Library.

This project is made possible (in part) through a grant from the Dutchess County Arts Council, administrator of public funds through NYSCA’s Decentralization Program.

Saturday 1/14 5:00 Night on the Town Series

Come out for an early start of your Saturday night with an artist talk, gallery exhibit and classical music... and then go out to dinner in Millbrook!

The Millbrook Free Library and Millbrook Arts Group have teamed up to present three classical music concerts and gallery talks this winter. The first event is this Saturday at the Millbrook Library from 5-7pm.

Our first concert will feature the Arabesque Trio- three talented musicians who will delight listeners with traditional and modern classical music selections. The evening will start with light refreshments and a gallery talk by our featured artist Miani Carnevale. After the concert, the musicians will give a brief talk about their music and their work as performing artists.

The Millbrook Cafe will be providing the light refreshments at this event, so show your appreciation (& it's a great excuse to stay in town!) and go out to dinner at any of our local restaurants.

Next Concert / Gallery talk: Feb 11.

Who's afraid of a little rain... Sat 8/27

OK, when rain storms get a name, I guess we cancel... Vinnie Bo is CANCELED for tonight.

Next Concert is GIRL HOWDY next Saturday September 9/3.

Rain Rain - Go AWAY! 6/25 Concert is rained out

Saturday to do list:
#1. Check out circus residue: Check - only two piles of Elephant souvenirs remain.
#2. Walk the Band shell lawn: Check - ponds are gone... but still extremely soggy.
#3. Look outside at 12:00pm: Check - Sun is poking out
#4. Check out Weather.com: RATSs... Sun is only teasing us, cause the nightly rain storms are coming back!

Sat. June 25th: GIRL HOWDY

"Girl Howdy - the honky tonk dance band that puts the twang in the swing & the rootin tootin' in the two-steppin'?"

The (22nd?) Millbrook Summer Concert season starts this Saturday with a return visit by GIRL HOWDY. They were here in 2009 and the crowd LOVED them.

A new feature this year: from 6:30-7:00 we'll have an 'open mike' format. If you are interested in performing contact MAG at info@millbrookartsgroup.org See you this Saturday at the Bandshell for Girl Howdie at 7:00pm

"Girl Howdy packs some serious gurl-harmony with classic honky-tonkin’

grooves." - Providence Journal

"...sweet harmonies, sliding steel and sawing fiddle--define Girl Howdy's genuine jukebox sound. With a few exceptions, males dominated the post-war Honky Tonk scene. But in the 21st Century Girl Howdy rules..." - Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association Jamboree

http://www.girlhowdyband.com/index.html

Fri April 29: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

MAG is excited to help bring the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival to Millbrook from their Boscobel summer home for a third year. This year's play is JULIUS CAESAR. The Festival is providing a workshop for the high school during the week. MAG has arranged for the troupe to give a performance for the community Friday night.

These plays have been a fantastic treat for our community, and is very appropriate for the entire family. The younger audience members have especially enjoyed asking questions of the actors at the the post performance discussion.

About the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

For 24 years the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has produced critically acclaimed shows that challenge, inspire and demystify the great works of William Shakespeare delighting and enlightening audiences of all ages. The region’s only professional resident Shakespeare company, HVSF, makes its home under an open-air tent theater perched high up on the banks of the Hudson River on the grounds of the historic 19^th Century Boscobel estate in Garrison, New York.

“Any Shakespearean scholar or novice theatergoer will be awed by the brilliant innovation and breadth of talent on display.” -The Poughkeepsie Journal

7:00 PM at the Millbrook High School
Tickets sold at the door - Adults $10, Students FREE!

DANCE DZUL ... Saturday April 2nd

The postponed DANCE DZUL performance is Saturday April 2nd. Unless a tornado comes... the show will go on! We heard from so many people how disappointed they were that the January date had snow problems. Fortunately we were able to rebook the group. The performance is surely worth the wait.

This is a family event. (Some people had asked about the promotional pictures.)

Recap from earlier post:
Join us for an exciting evening and an unique opportunity to watch Dance Dzul's latest show being performed in NYC.

"Dzul Dance fuses dance with aerial arts as a means to communicate indigenous pre-Hispanic ritual and mythology and create dialogue between contemporary art and historical heritage. By transforming bodies into earthbound and airborne forces of nature Dzul breaks physical, cultural and political boundaries. This daring and unique company connects the bridges between the ancient and the modern in order to illuminate the vast array of drama and beauty inherent to the universal human condition and the natural world."

Artistic Director Javier Dzul and his diverse company of dancers and aerialists have been presented throughout New York and Mexico and in South America, Europe, Asia and the Virgin Islands garnering reviews along the way that hail Dzul’s “acrobatic wizardry” and his ability to turn his dancers of “remarkable elasticity” into “creatures of the air as well as of the earth” (The New York Times). His choreographies have been described as “electrifying” by Magazine.Art, “sophisticated and eloquent” by Attitude: The Dancers’ Magazine and “beautiful…extremely effective” by The New York Times.

Millbrook Arts Group presents Dzul Dance

Saturday, April 2nd at 7:30PM at
the new Millbrook High School Theater
$15 General Admission
FREE for Millbrook elementary, middle and high school students

for more info: www.dzuldance.com

Sorry - Dzul Dance Cancelled

Snow ended in time... but unfortunately the parking lots are not plowed / salted.... We will DEFINITELY try to get DZUL DANCE back. A lot of buzz and the community was wanting to experience this group. So sorry. If you make it out to Millbrook, please patronize one of the local restaurants that have been so kind supporting MAG.

Dance DZUL - Saturday Jan 8 - 2011

Hot news and and a hot way to start 2011: The Millbrook Arts Group is proud to announce the beginning of it's 2011 Season with DANCE DZUL. Join us for an exciting evening and an unique opportunity to watch Dance Dzul's latest show prior to their NYC season.

"Dzul Dance fuses dance with aerial arts as a means to communicate indigenous pre-Hispanic ritual and mythology and create dialogue between contemporary art and historical heritage. By transforming bodies into earthbound and airborne forces of nature Dzul breaks physical, cultural and political boundaries. This daring and unique company connects the bridges between the ancient and the modern in order to illuminate the vast array of drama and beauty inherent to the universal human condition and the natural world."

Artistic Director Javier Dzul and his diverse company of dancers and aerialists have been presented throughout New York and Mexico and in South America, Europe, Asia and the Virgin Islands garnering reviews along the way that hail Dzul’s “acrobatic wizardry” and his ability to turn his dancers of “remarkable elasticity” into “creatures of the air as well as of the earth” (The New York Times). His choreographies have been described as “electrifying” by Magazine.Art, “sophisticated and eloquent” by Attitude: The Dancers’ Magazine and “beautiful…extremely effective” by The New York Times.

Millbrook Arts Group presents Dzul Dance

Saturday, January 8th at 7:30PM at
the new Millbrook High School Theater
$15 General Admission
FREE for Millbrook elementary, middle and high school students

for more info: www.dzuldance.com

Sat July 31st: Boréal Tordu

We tried desperately hard to have them come last year... Fortunately the stars aligned and we are able to host Boréal Tordu in Millbrook this Saturday!

This may be the most unique group we'll have this summer. They are traveling from Maine for this concert. We're positive that you'll enjoy it.

A brief description from their website: Boréal Tordu began when fiddler Steve Muise and singer Robert Sylvain discovered a mutual interest in the music of their shared Acadian heritage. While signs of their parents' French culture can still be found in Maine, it was almost lost to their generation, after years of forced assimilation. More than a revival, their music represents a continuation of musical traditions passed down from the Acadians, the Québécois, and the unique French-speaking people of the the Republic of Madawaska and milltowns all over New England.

Reviews:
"...this bringing to life of traditional Canadian, American and French music is altogether new, made particularly appealing by the love of what they are doing and the contagious beat of the music." Esther Perne - Summertime in the Belgrades

"Friendly reminder from Boréal Tordu: Cajun wasn't born on the Bayou." Portland Press Herald

"...a fun brand of rootsy acoustic music that’s accessible... and features some top-notch musicality and singing." The Portland Phoenix

"The simplistic music, coupled with excellent vocals earns “La Bonne Vie” four-peppers."
Zydeco Road

Saturday July 3rd: The Big Band Sound Jazz Orchestra

David Cole is bringing the Big Band Sound back to Millbrook for another holiday weekend concert. The Big Band Sound concert is perhaps our largest concert of the season. Invite a friend, bring a cooler and watch the stars come out to the sounds of this great local jazz band.

Check out the bands facebook and web sites:

"The Big Band Sound 20-piece jazz orchestra recreates the swinging sounds of the big band era, performing compositions that span an entire century of music, including classics made famous by Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Harry James and Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey. In the tradition of these great orchestras, The Big Band Sound is a 20-piece jazz band consisting of six saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets, guitar, bass, piano, drums, and male and female vocalists."

Big Band Sound Face book site

Big Band sound Website

2010 Season Line up

Here it is, full line up... 7 concerts in all. Too Blue played a great concert last Saturday. All concerts are at 7:00, except the 5:00pm Stolen Heart concert at the Fireman's chicken BBQ.

Sat 6/26: TOO BLUE
“Dynamic Acoustic Bluegrass that Swings”
Sat 7/3: BIG BAND SOUND
“Journey Back to the Big Band Era”

Concert sponsored by the LIONS
Sat 7/17: THUNDER RIDGE
“Kickin' New Country & Country Rock”
Sat 7/31: BOREAL TORDU
“Original Music of Acadian Maineiacs”
Sat 8/14: DR. PETER MUIR, STEVE FABRIZIO & BARBARA RANKIN
“A Celebration of Classic Singers & Music”
Sat 8/28: SHORTY KING’S CLUBHOUSE
“Jump, Swing, Rhythm & Blues of from the Vault”
Sat 9/11: STOLEN HEART
“Contemporary and Classic Country Music”
(5pm Millbrook Village green)

Summer Season starts THIS SATURDAY: Too Blue

MAG is pleased to hold the (22nd? it's been a long time!) 2010 season, featuring 7 Saturday evening concerts.

The season kicks off with TOO BLUE, performing their own unique blend of bluegrass & swing music. TOO BLUE features Standfordville local Joan Harrison on banjo and lead vocals. Betsy Rome (guitar , vocals) and Jamie Doris (bass, vocals) hail from nearby Connecticut. Michael Sassano (mandolin) is from Mahopac.

"Joan's clear and compelling voice brings new interpretations to standards from Patsy Cline to Bill Monroe, and creates new vocal stylings for Too Blue's original songs. Betsy's award-winning guitar playing has been featured in "Flatpicking Guitar" magazine, and she is one of very few female performers in this demanding bluegrass style of "flatpicking". Jamie is the newest addition to the Too Blue crew. (Jamie) attended the Jazz and Contemporary Music program at the New School University in New York City. (Michael) has been playing the mandolin for over 25 years and has been greatly influenced by his first teacher, the renowned Jay Ungar, as well as Andy Statman. A founding member of the eclectic string band 'Out To Lunch', Michael has been performing throughout the Northeast and Canada for the last 2 decades."

Bios and clips are available at: http://www.toobluemusic.com/

Friday April 30th: A Mid-Summer's Night's Dream

Friday April 30th, MAG is pleased to host the the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for a second year. This year the play will be the Boscobel troupe's fresh look at A Mid-Summer's Night's Dream.

Thanks to grants from Millbrook Educational Foundation and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the troupe will be presenting a workshop for the Millbrook HS students during the week. MAG is presenting the play for the entire community Friday Night.

The play is appropriate for the entire family. Last year's Macbeth will be hard to beat, as the opening scene with the witches as kabuki characters was fantastic. We're excited to see what new insight the troupe has in store this year.

- Friday April 30th, 7:30

- Millbrook High School Auditorium
- $10/Adult. Children & Seniors Free.